Justin Evans

Healing beyond a disease

Justin Evans was young, active and seemingly healthy, so he wasn’t alarmed when he felt a lump under his collarbone. The 28-year-old went about life as usual – working, enjoying married life, and spending time hiking and kayaking. But then one night, Justin felt quite ill and feared it might be appendicitis. His wife took him to Baptist Health Lexington, where he underwent the first in a series of tests that ultimately would reveal he had stage 3 Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

“At Baptist Health Lexington, the quality of care was amazing,” said Justin, who opted against seeking treatment at an out-of-town facility like Cleveland Clinic. “I literally could not have asked for anything more.”

Within 30 minutes of his diagnosis, Justin was in the office of oncologist Lee Hicks, MD, and he began chemotherapy two days later at the Cancer Care Center at Baptist Health Lexington – just five minutes from his home.

“Justin was a soldier through it. He got through it very, very well,” says Dr. Hicks, adding that Baptist Health Lexington’s multidisciplinary approach combines advanced treatment and compassionate care. “This is about a healing that goes beyond current disease. It’s about wellness. This is about bringing wholeness to a person that’s had a great challenge in their life.”